Nadia's Initiative
 | This article may lack focus or may be about more than one topic. (November 2018) |
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| Formation | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Founder | |
| Type | |
| Purpose | Human Rights, Education, Ending Human Trafficking, Stopping Genocide of Yazidis by ISIL |
| Method | Donations, Grants |
Key people |
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| Website | nadiasinitiative.org |
Founded in September of 2016, Nadia’s Initiative is an organization that advocates for victims of sexual violence and aims to rebuild communities in crisis. The launch of this organization was prompted by religious persecution of the Yazidi people in Sinjar, Iraq by ISIS militants in 2014. A survivor of this attack, Nadia Murad, created Nadia’s Initiative in 2016 to aid women, children, and religious minorities who have been victims of, or are vulnerable to, attack, persecution, and/or sexual violence. By working with world leaders and engaging with leading universities, the Initiative seeks to attain its key priorities of: global advocacy, sexual violence awareness and emergency response, genocide and persecution of minorities education, and establish reconstruction efforts to create solutions for the Sinjar region of Iraq.
Global Advocacy
Nadia’s Initiative works with heads of government, policymakers, media, and civil society to effect change for Yazidis and other minority groups in Iraq. Like many minority groups, the Yazidis, and particularly Yazidi women, have been and continue to be victims of physical and sexual violence. To promote these causes, the Initiative focuses on creating dialog with world leaders to establish and support a comprehensive peace building strategy for Sinjar – one that fosters reconciliation and promotes the redevelopment and safety of the region.
Accomplishments
- Meets with world leaders and calls on them for support and to recognize the genocide of the Yazidi people.
- Worked extensively to pressure the United Nations Security Council to pass Resolution 2379 which opened an investigation into the war crimes committed by Daesh against the Yazidi people.
- Established partnership with Mine Advisory Group (MAG) and obtained funding from the United States to de-mine Sinjar (on-going).
- Worked with the French government to secure “two million euros to supplement this [Nadia’s Initiative] fund, which will include the creation of infrastructure, schools, hospitals, income-generating structures, and encourage the return of displaced Yazidi populations to their land.”
- Global awareness for combating war crimes and seeking justice for victims of sexual violence.
Sinjar Action Fund
A 2016 Human Rights Council (Thirty-second session Agenda item 4) determined that the, "statements and conduct of ISIS ... clearly demonstrate that ISIS intended to destroy the Yazidis ... the Commission has made wide-ranging recommendations to the United Nations, the Governments of Syria and Iraq, and the wider international community concerning the protection of and care for the Yazidi community of Sinjar." Nadia’s Initiative established the Sinjar Action Fund (SAF) to advance reconstruction efforts to create solutions for the area and secure commitments from the global community to protect the Yazidi population.
In January of 2018, Nadia’s Initiative undertook a major assessment of Sinjar to better understand the obstacles delaying redevelopment efforts and document the current state of the region. The Status of Sinjar Report is a comprehensive analysis of the region and provides an assessment of the following sectors:
- Livelihoods & Food Security
- Shelter & Non-Food Items (NFIs)
- Education
- Health
- Infrastructure
- Protection
The report is a possible blueprint for rebuilding Sinjar, as it identifies projects for redevelopment. Reconstructing basic facilities, communication networks, education & healthcare infrastructures and establishing economic opportunities for returnees is believed by Nadia's Initiative to be a crucial step in comprehensive peace building. The Initiative believes returnees should be an integral part of the solution and involved in the development of infrastructure projects. Their goal in this is that this type of approach will empower survivors, particularly women and children, and re-establish a sense of community in the region. Advantages of Nadia’s Initiative
- Globally Recognized Voice of the Yazidi Community
- Unique Localized Strategy to Rebuilding
- Access to Local, Regional and International Implementers Working in Sinjar
- Relationships with Local, Regional and Global Leadership
Sexual Violence Awareness and Emergency Response
According to the World Health Organization, global estimates show, "about 1 in 3 (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime." Nadia’s Initiative works to support localized approaches to meet the needs of survivors and works to partner with community driven organizations to confront gender-based violence and help survivors.
Education: Genocide & Persecution of Minorities
Nadia’s Initiative actively engages with leading Universities, and other educational institutions to build awareness regarding genocide and the persecution of minorities. By educating today’s youth about these issues, the Initiative hopes to take critical steps in making the world more secure for future generations.
Key People
Nadia Murad (Vice Chairman & Founder)
Murad, co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, is an advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence. Nadia’s life was interrupted in 2014 when Daesh attacked her homeland in Sinjar with the intention of ethnically cleansing Iraq of the Yazidi religion. Kerry Propper (Vice Chairman and Co-Founder) Propper was in the original team that started the campaign to bring ISIS before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
Elizabeth Schaeffer Brown (Co-executive Director & Board Member)
An expert in multimedia communications and strategic partnerships, Brown focuses on countering extremism and advocating for women and children. She fought to bring ISIS before the International Criminal Court, worked to establish Yazda's Genocide Documentation Project, and has worked since 2015 to advocate for the Yazidi community.
Kerry Propper (Vice Chairman and Co-Founder)
Propper was in the original team that started the campaign to bring ISIS before the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. He also, "initiated Yazda’s Genocide Documentation Project which has been collecting evidence of Human Rights violations committed against the Yazidis. Evidence gathered through this documentation project will support the international legal case against perpetrators, be they individual ISIS fighters or ISIS as a whole."
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